The Panthers will play host to the Canucks on Thursday night, with first puck drop set for 7:00 p.m. ET. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Florida is a massive -298 favorite on the Moneyline, and the game’s total is set at O/U 6.5 goals.
Below, I’ll provide my top betting prediction and pick for tonight’s Panthers vs. Canucks tilt at Amerant Bank Arena.
Panthers vs. Canucks prediction, preview
Florida enters Thursday night with a 3-2-2 record, and the club is coming off its most complete game of the season, a 7-3 victory over the Blue Jackets on Tuesday night. The Panthers are already dealing with a multitude of injuries, with Aleksander Barkov and Brad Marchand both sidelined with long-term lower-body injuries, while Jacob Markstrom will not be available tonight with an undisclosed injury. That leaves Akira Schmid as the starter between the pipes tonight, and he sports a 3.72 GAA and .875 SV% thus far.
Florida’s offense has been lackluster for the most part, ranking 12th in xGoals% and 20th in actual Goals%, but tonight is the type of matchup that allows the club to build some momentum off its big win on Tuesday night. Despite allowing more goals than they are scoring right now, the Panthers still rank fourth in the NHL in Corsi%, suggesting that they’re still sustaining consistent offensive pressure and winning the puck possession battle.
On the other bench is a Canucks team that sports a 2-6-0 record and enters Thursday night’s tilt on a five-game losing streak. The club scored 13 combined goals across its first two outings of the new season against the Oilers, but now it finds itself with the same number of goals across its past six outings. The Canucks’ only regulation win has come against the Flames, one of maybe three clubs that is arguably worse than them. Elias Pettersson leads the team with nine points, and while the club has received even goalscoring across its depth roles, the goaltending is the real problem. Kevin Lankinen’s awful numbers certainly skew the team’s numbers, but Leevi Merilainen, who sports a 2.40 GAA and .926 SV% across five appearances, can only do so much, especially when the defense in front of him does not make his life easier.
Vancouver has allowed the most high-danger chances against, given the puck away in its own defensive zone at the fourth-highest rate and played undisciplined hockey, with the 10th-most penalties taken. It has also allowed the second-most shots per game and goals per game, and it sports the worst PK% in the league. If we’re looking for any sort of positive with this team, at least the Canucks rank in the top half of the league in goals per 60, but how can that matter when they also rank inside the bottom five in xGoals%, Goals% and Corsi%?
Panthers vs. Canucks pick, best bet
Per the DraftKings Network Betting Splits page, 90% of the handle and 47% of the bets on DraftKings Sportsbook lie with the over, set at O/U 6.5 goals. It makes sense that the public expects a high-scoring affair when Florida scored seven goals two nights ago, and Vancouver has been abysmal between the pipes to start the season. Admittedly, I am slightly concerned to back the over because Florida has been a middling 5v5 team thus far, but Vancouver’s penalty and goaltending woes sorta cancel that out. Florida’s team total is set at O/U 3.5 goals itself, Schmid is mid, and Vancouver may end up stealing two to three goals itself, too.
